Support Dr. Bowley: Defend Academic Freedom at Millsaps

For 22 years, Dr. James Bowley was a dedicated faculty member in the Department of Religious Studies at Millsaps College, where he served as a tenured professor and Chair of the Department. On January 14, 2025, he was unjustly fired following a two-month suspension, despite widespread public outcry and a formal recommendation from the Faculty Grievance Committee urging Millsaps College to immediately reinstate Dr. Bowley and for the president of the college, Frank Neville, to issue a public apology. During this two-month suspension, over 700 students, alumni, and faculty rallied in support of Dr. Bowley, reaching out to the administration in order to advocate on his behalf. The Committee’s recommendation was rejected by the President, as were the hundreds of signatures, letters, and voices who appealed against the suspension. For context as to the gravity of this support, Millsaps College’s total undergraduate enrollment has hovered around 600 students in recent years, underscoring the extraordinary scale and passion of the support for Dr. Bowley within the Millsaps community.

The controversy stemmed from a 10-word email Dr. Bowley sent to his three-person class on November 6, 2024, the day after the U.S. presidential election. These are students he knows well and knew would be affected negatively by the outcome of the election. His e-mail read as follows:

Subject: No class today

Need time to mourn and process this racist fascist country

~james

Ten words. Three students. A permanent decision was made by an interim faculty member (Interim Provost Stephanie Rolph) and a newly minted president regarding a tenured professor which affects the course of one man’s life, thousands of students, and the very principles on which we stand. Millsaps exchanged twenty-two years in academia at Millsaps and thousands of lives directly impacted for the better—for ten words and three students.

This e-mail was a compassionate response to a very small body of Black students Dr. Bowley knew would be upset because of this election. Perhaps more importantly: it was an example of academic freedom. Millsaps College has always existed on the foundation of principles like academic freedom, pursuit of knowledge, and justice. As an institution of higher learning, it is meant to be a place where diverse voices and critical thought can thrive. Free thought cannot flourish when it is stifled by censorship. Further, tenure is designed specifically to safeguard these principles of freedom, which provide the scaffolding of integrity necessary for a deep and robust education.

This GoFundMe was started by alumni who have been forever changed by the impact Dr. Bowley has had on their lives and will go toward supporting his living expenses and legal fees during this career-altering, life-changing, and unpredictable job loss. Should Millsaps College ultimately choose to align itself with principles of justice and academic freedom, funds donated through this campaign will be redirected to support Millsaps, humanities, and religious studies. The overwhelming response to Millsaps’ decisions in recent weeks highlights how important and prolific Dr. Bowley’s impact has been on the Millsaps community and the world. This funding effort seeks to ensure that his work and legacy continue to thrive, regardless of the college’s actions.